Pattern Preservation: Cereal Box

Another great method for preserving patterns that you'll be tracing onto fabric is the good old cereal box method.

This is a great method for reusing what would normally become garbage, and creates a fairly long-lasting pattern with a nice, rigid edge for tracing.  In this post, I'm preserving another adorable Polluted Pixie bonnet pattern, the short brimmed version, in a 6-12 month size.

Supplies: 
*An empty cereal box (opened to become flat)
*Your pattern
*Scissors
*Pen or marker for tracing and transferring markings
*Tape (if needed)
*Hole punch (if needed)
*Ruler (if needed)

Print and cut out your pattern pieces, and tape together any parts that need taping.  In this picture, you'll see that I took a few liberties with some of my pattern pieces.  Instead of cutting smaller pieces to be placed on folds, I printed 2 and taped them together to make a longer piece.  I used the hole punch to make little holes in pieces where the ears, darts, and ties needed to go. (You don't have to do this, but I like to. I've found it's a super easy way to transfer those markings onto the fabric.)  I also created an additional piece for the brim interfacing, using the ruler to mark and trim it 1/8" smaller than the main brim pattern piece, to make it easier to iron on and stitch through.

Next, you'll open up your flattened cereal box, with the plain paper side facing up.  Trace all of your pattern pieces onto the cardboard, and transfer all markings and any additional notes you'd like to add to the pattern.  I made one more modification from the original pattern here, adding notches to the centers of the brim edges, which will help me center the brim when I'm pinning and sewing.

The last thing you'll do is cut out the cardboard pattern pieces, and again use your hole punch to transfer dotted markings.And that's it!  Easy as can be.  

I like this method because it's basically free, it's fast (this took me about 20 minutes), and it makes a good, rigid, reusable pattern.  This is a good one for patterns with smaller pieces.  It's really popular for pad patterns, where you're doing a lot of tracing.  I like being able to make notes directly onto the pattern pieces.  I don't love the feel of cardboard, but if I wanted to, I could just flip it over so I'm touching the printed side instead of the papery-feeling side when I'm tracing onto fabric.  Another thing to keep in mind is that if your marking tool slips while you're tracing the pieces onto your fabric, you'll permanently mark up the cardboard.  It happens to me every time.  That might not be a big deal to you, though.  The edges will eventually wear down, but it's not hard to just make new cardboard tracings.   

Obviously, these kinds of methods aren't ideal for every kind of pattern.  For example, if you're working with large pieces for something like a shirt, you'll want to just use a paper pattern so that you can pin it directly to the fabric and cut along the edges, instead of tracing pieces.  But for smaller things like bonnets, pads, or booties, traceable patterns are pretty awesome.

About Sewing Machines

Sewing machines.  Choosing a machine is kind of like choosing a car.  It's an investment.  There are a lot of things to consider, like affordability, longevity, the amount and type of sewing you'll do, etc.  And there are secrets.  I discovered a few of those when my newest machine broke down this week.

All of the sewing machines I've owned have been Brothers. In the beginning, this was because of affordability and availability.  

I got my first machine at WalMart about 20 years ago.  I think it was a Brother XR-33.  It cost about $125, which was a huge expenditure for me at the time.  It was probably the nicest piece of property I owned.  It was fairly basic, but that was okay because so were my sewing skills.  And it was a work horse.   I loved that machine!  I'm still kind of emotionally attached, because aside from my kids, it was the best thing I took with me from my first marriage. Ha! 

After all this time, I've only had to give it 2 tune-ups, and it's still going strong.  About 2 years ago, I upgraded my machine, and that first machine became my loaner.  My mom is currently using it.  It has been such a good machine that it made me really partial to the Brother brand, which turns out to be good and bad these days.

The next machine I got was for my kids to use.  I didn't want them breaking my precious machine!  I found a super cheap model on Amazon.  A Brother XL2600I for about $60.  This is a great entry level/learner machine.  On the box it's described as "sew affordable" and "sew advanced."  Cringe-worthy puns.  It is definitely a starter machine.  It has a fair amount of stitches, it's completely mechanical (no computerized anything), and not a lot of guts.  It's a great machine for sort of learning how to drive.  Also great because if you've never sewn before and want to try it out without much financial commitment, you can buy a cheap one like this and not feel too guilty if you decide you don't like it.

This was my newest machine.  I loved her.  Brother SE-400.  This one has like a bajillion stitches, quilts and embroiders, and is really darn easy to figure out how to use.  It has a variable speed control switch, and can be run using a stop and go button on the control panel instead of using the gas pedal.  My doting hubby got this one for me just over 2 years ago because I was on bed rest, and the hand controls made it so that I could sew while I was laying down!  I also wanted this model because some of the stitches are for hemstitching (the machine pokes little holes in the fabric that you can crochet through).  My friend and I were crocheting edges on baby blankets at the time, and that was a bonus to be able to hemstitch whatever fabric I wanted, instead of being limited to flannels that were professionally done.  This machine had a lot more power and was loads more quiet than the other machines I had used. Switching back to the older machines when I needed a backup was just gross.

I paid a little over $300 for this machine.  Since I had only ever paid $60-120 for a sewing machine in the past, and had seen loads of machines for a much lower price at WalMart and on Amazon, I figured that at this price, I was getting a machine that would last a lifetime and I could hand down to my daughter.  I learned to keep it clean on my own, kept it covered when not in use, was careful with the settings, and changed my needles regularly.  I never did get the chance to try the embroidery or quilting capabilities.

This is where our story gets a little sad.  Recently, something went weird with my upper tension.  I would be sewing along just fine, when suddenly the tension discs would clamp down on the upper thread, which would snap.  Thread type didn't matter.  I assumed my 2-year-old had messed with the settings, and adjusted those. It worked for a minute, but then the thread started knotting on the underside of my projects.  I cleaned it (featured a few posts back) and adjusted the settings again, and all was well for a few small projects.  Then suddenly, it started having both of those problems and randomly skipping stitches.  This was all beyond my capabilities, so I took it in for a tune-up.  

When I got to the repair shop, I found out that a tune-up and simple repairs would run a jaw-dropping $120!  That was almost half the price of the sewing machine new!  When I started to hyperventilate, the shop owner explained that manufacturers have 2 classifications for sewing machines.  Anything priced under $400 is considered a "throw-away" machine by the manufacturer.  Those over $400 are generally considered "lifetime" machines (a lifetime of 20-30 years.)  If I wasn't hyperventilating before...  

Now, I'm just going to say that I've probably only even met 3 people in my lifetime that just have $400 laying around that they could throw away.  And even those 3 people wouldn't do it willingly.  I scooped up my newish, broken sewing machine and headed home and made some calls and visits to more stores and repair shops, which all told me the same thing.  A tune-up would be $90, which might fix the problem, and repairs would run more.  Each place advised me that they wouldn't even consider investing the cost of repairs in what they also called a "throw away" sewing machine.

Now I had to make a hard decision.  Repair my relatively new investment, raising the cost to well over $400,  try to exchange it for the exact same model which might have the exact same problem in 2 more years, or get yet another newer and better sewing machine.

After some soul-searching and investigating, I decided to go with door #3.  Hubby was able to convince Amazon to refund half the original cost of my SE-400 and keep the broken machine.  I was then able to use the broken one as a trade-in at a local shop, which would either repair it and resell it at a discount, or use it for parts for repairs for other poor suckers.  That made it possible for me to get my latest installment in the sewing machine saga, a "lifetime" machine,  for a price I could feel comfortable with.  

This newest guy is also a Brother, a "Project Runway" Innov-is NS 85e.  This one, however, is in the higher end classification.  It's made with all metal parts.  (The others are loaded with plastic parts.)  It has all of the stitch functions that are important to me.  It has the hand controls that I love for those times when I'm bedridden.  It powers through 9 layers of denim, whereas  the little XL2600I stalls out at 5 layers of lightweight cotton.  It does not have an embroidery function or an automatic thread clipper.  The purchase came with $200 of free sewing classes, which will be a huge benefit to me.  Because this is more machine than I can currently handle.  And as the salesperson was demonstrating the capabilities, I discovered that I am basically a sewing nincompoop.  Who knew?!

As I did my research and interviewing, I also found out that there are only a few main sewing machine manufacturers.  They are Brother, Viking, and Bernina.  Brother makes all of the Brothers and Baby Locks.  Viking makes all of the Vikings, Husqvarna, Elnas, and Singers.  Bernina is a stand-alone, so they only make Berninas.  All three makers abide by the "throw-away" vs "lifetime" rule.

**Update - I believe Juki is a 4th manufacturer, based in Japan. Like Bernina, Juki is a stand-alone company and only manufactures and sells Juki sewing machines and sergers.

When shopping for my newest sewing machine, I didn't even bother trying out a Bernina, because a comparable machine was hundreds of dollars more, and I've heard that once you sew on one, everything else is a disappointment.  I didn't want to spend that much, and I didn't want to be disappointed in my purchase every time I worked on a project, so I just stuck with testing what I could afford.

So, in summary:  If you're just thinking about sewing, just learning how, by all means grab a really cheap one from WalMart or Amazon.  Then, if you discover that you love to sew, save your pennies so that you can go to a dealer and buy one that is over $400, which should last a lifetime.  (The lifetime sewing machines are not available from regular retailers.  They are only available from a dealer.)  Once you've stitched on a starter, then try out a good machine, you'll see, hear, and feel exactly why there's such a price difference.

I'm pretty excited to sew my first project on the newest member of my crafting team.  I wish I had known this stuff a few years ago, but life is about learning, and I'm really grateful that I now have a quality piece of equipment that will be reliable and enjoyable for years to come.

Pattern Preservation: Contact Paper

When I find a sewing pattern that I can tell I'm going to love and that I'll want to use repeatedly, I like to preserve the pattern for future reuse.  When I have a pattern that's just printed out on paper, it works fine for a single use, but the paper is bendy, it doesn't give a good edge for tracing onto fabric, and it just doesn't hold up well over time.  There are several methods I use for making patterns more sturdy and helping them to last longer.  Today I'm going to talk about using clear Con-Tact paper.  With this method, you're basically laminating your pattern pieces, but it works great because you can cover larger pieces than you might be able to fit through a home laminator.

Some of the benefits of preserving with Con-Tact paper are that you are actually using your original patterns, all of the markings and things are clearly visible, it's sturdy and long-lasting, and it's pretty inexpensive. Also, if you have any sensory issues with paper, it's nice to have them covered in plastic.

You'll only need a few supplies:
*Your printed pattern
*Scotch tape (if your pattern has pieces that need to be taped together)
*A pen
*Scissors that are paper safe (not your good fabric scissors!)
*A roll of clear Con-Tact paper
*An old credit card or gift card

You'll want to start off by roughly cutting out your pattern pieces and taping any bits together that need to be taped.  You don't need to be very careful cutting out the pieces at this stage.  You'll be cutting them more precisely once you get them covered in the plastic.

At this point, I like to label all of my pieces with any pertinent information.  For example, I like to write on each piece the name of the designer or shop, the size of the particular piece, and label any markings like darts or points that need to match up.  I really appreciate it when designers include that information on the pieces, but that's often not the case.  It's important to me to add the information to each piece so that they don't get mixed up with other patterns or sizes.  I also like to use a colored pen for this, because the color coordinating helps me to keep the pieces organized in my mind.  (If I have 3 sizes of the same pattern, I'll use maybe all green ink for 0-6 month pieces, orange for 6-12 month, etc.)  Some patterns, like this one, actually come with colored markings, but my printer will only do black and white.  So colored pens are a good solution for me for organization.

Once the pieces are cut, taped, and labeled, I'll start peeling back the paper backing from the plastic on the Con-Tact paper, with the sticky side facing up.  Most of the time the roll of plastic likes to curl itself back up, so I'll have to put some kind of a weight on the roll to keep it from curling back up while I peel back the paper.  Once the paper has been peeled back, this isn't usually a problem any more with the bare plastic.  I try to only expose as much of the sticky surface as I need to fit all of the pattern pieces onto.
 

Then I'll put the rough-cut pieces face-up on the sticky side of the plastic, positioning them close together without overlapping them.  Con-Tact paper is one of those things I'm weird about not wanting to waste, so I do try to play Tetris with the pieces a little, and then I smooth the pieces with my hand a bit to prevent wrinkles.
 

Once I get the pattern pieces onto the sticky side of the plastic, I'll pull away a little more of the protective sheet on the roll, then fold it over so that now the sticky side is coming in contact with the right side of the pattern pieces. (So, sticky side down now.)  I'll then slowly and carefully peel back the sheeting as I press and smooth the plastic to the right side of the pattern pieces.  This covers both sides of the pieces with the Con-Tact paper.  It's important to go slowly here and just expose a little bit of that sticky side at a time, because once the sticky surface comes in contact with the markings on the pattern and the other sticky surface of the plastic, there's no turning back.
 

Once you've got the plastic covering both sides of pattern pieces, you can cut off the rest of the roll of Con-Tact paper to use for another project.  (I like to leave a little more paper than plastic on the roll so that it's easier to peel back next time.)  Now you'll notice that there are probably some bubbles and/or wrinkles in the plastic. Use the edge of your credit card to press and smooth out any bubbles and wrinkles. 

Do the same on both sides of the pattern pieces.  If you have any stubborn bubbles that don't want to smooth out, you can just prick the center of the bubble with a pin, and push the air out the little hole.  Smoothing the plastic out with the credit card will also help to really adhere the plastic to the patterns, so that the plastic doesn't start to peel back with future use.
 

Now you can carefully cut out the laminated pattern pieces along the lines.

And that's it! You now have a set of nicely marked and preserved pattern pieces that you can use again and again.  I love the feel of patterns that are covered in Con-Tact paper.  Because I'm weird.  More importantly, I love that the plastic gives the patterns a nice rigid edge that I can trace against, without compromising the integrity of the sizing. And I can wipe away any marks that I accidentally get on the pattern during tracing, with a damp cloth.  Also because I'm weird and like my patterns to stay pretty looking.

Fabric Haul

Okay. I guess it might not technically be a "haul." But I'm pretty stoked about these woven cottons that I just picked up.  I'm not shy about buying crafty goodies when I've got the money for it, especially when there's a coupon involved.  And for this fabric I scored with several coupons.  Happy dance!

In case you hadn't noticed, I'm pretty much the worst photographer. This photo doesn't show off the colors at all. But they're so darn cute! From left to right, the solid colored broadcloth are a robin's egg blue, a lime green, a light denim blue color, and a light sea foam green. The nursery prints pick up little bits of all of those colors.  (Oh my gosh, I am so disappointed in this picture!  Blah!)

I plan to use these to make some little baby bonnets using a pattern by Polluted Pixie, and some coordinating reversible baby shoes using Weepereas' pattern. I've made the little shoes loads of times, and I'm excited to pair them with these bonnets, which I've never tried before, for some sweet little gift sets.  I'll mostly be shooting for unisex, but there will also be some gender specific bonnets and shoes. (The farm scene is definitely boy and the polka dots are totally girl.) 

I'm excited to get started, but alas, the fabric is enduring its pre-wash and shrink at the moment.  Keep your eyes open for pattern reviews for these little ones in the future!  And hopefully the pictures of the finished sets will turn out a whole lot better than this miserable nonsense.

Pattern Review: Attic 24 Neat Ripple

I really enjoy doing a lot of different makery things, and crochet is one of my favorites.  I like being able to sit in a nice, comfy chair and work on something while I hang out with my kids or watch a show or whatever, instead of being confined to my sewing machine or work table.  It's also great for when I'm on bedrest.  I especially like crocheting baby gifts, because they're pretty quick to complete and there are a bajillion adorable patterns out there.  I really do a lot more crocheting than I do sewing.  A lot more.  

The Website: Attic 24
The Pattern: Neat Ripple

So, a quick confession: I actually super hate making blankets/afghans.  They take forever and aren't very satisfying to me.  I don't like weaving in ends for all of the color changes.  Yuck.  I really prefer to make things that I can finish in a day, and even better are the things that can be completed in a few hours or less.  I just have a terrible attention span and my crafting time is pretty limited.  But I had seen this pattern on Instagram several times and really thought it was pretty adorable.  I figured, since I've got this baby on the way, and every baby needs a blanket, this would be a good pick.  As it turns out, I accidentally made it way too big for a baby, so that was a fail.  I have one happy teenager who considers it a success though!

This free pattern is written in British terms, as are all of Attic 24's patterns.  Because, you know, she's British. If you know how to convert from British to American terms, that's not a big deal.  Conversions are rough for me if it's a counted pattern, where you have to follow a lot of instructions, but this one is a simple, repeating pattern.  So it wasn't a problem for me.  

The designer (blog author? I don't know what title to use!) gave lots of photos in her tutorial, which I found helpful.  Especially the first photo, where she shows you which stitch to start your ripple in.  Her instructions in that part of the pattern were a little confusing to me, so that picture was helpful.  She suggests that you start out by making a sample size of the pattern before starting your full-sized project, and I strongly agree with her.  The thing is, that spot in the foundation chain where she has you start the ripple didn't make any sense to me at all.  So by making a sample first, I was able to see that I needed to adjust in that area, for my own sanity.  I didn't have any idea how big the blanket was actually becoming, which is just an unfortunate part of using this kind of pattern, since it's begun by using a stitch count instead of a measurement.  Meaning, "make a chain using multiples of 14, plus 3."  There's no way to know how many multiples of 14 you need to get to a certain width, without just trying it.

Once I caught the rhythm of it, this was a really relaxing pattern to work with, and didn't require much counting, since there are visual cues for where you need to increase or decrease your stitches.  (She explains those cues to you in the tutorial, too.)  On the designer's blog post, she starts with a full photo tutorial, then ends with a condensed pattern that you can print off.  I thought that was pretty great.  Since the pattern is made using double crochet, and it's not really technical, it works up fairly quickly.  And golly, it's cute!

I used a worsted weight yarn (Hobby Lobby "I Love This Yarn") in 6 different colors.  I also decided to make this blanket with totally random striping.  That took a lot more thinking than any part of the pattern.  The designer doesn't making any suggestions for finishing off the edging.  I decided I wanted a nice, uniform, straight edge on all sides, so I made a row of white stitches of varied sizes along the rippled ends to straighten it out.  I honestly couldn't tell you what pattern I used - I just did single crochets in the high spots, doubles in the low spots, and half doubles in between.  After that, I did a row of hdc all the way around the perimeter of the blanket, followed by several rows of camel stitch. (This is also known as hdc in the third loop.)

I've found that ripple or chevron patterns can be a little tricky, but I really did like how simple this one was to figure out.  I plan to make another blanket with it, for real for the baby this time, but with a lighter weight yarn (probably sport or baby) and I'll definitely make a much smaller one this next time.  Because I'm thinking it's a bad thing when the blanket is so big and heavy that it outweighs the actual baby.

Pattern Review: My Green Cloth "Flares"

I've been down with migraines for the last few weeks, so I'm a little behind in my makery and posting and whatnot.  Today I had hoped to get to work on a little baby bonnet that I purchased a pattern for, but Etsy is having trouble processing payments.  No "instant" downloads today.  Bummer.  But that means I've got some free time for another review or two, so here's another for you.

The Shop: My Green Cloth

The Pattern: Flares

I purchased and assembled this pattern and pad about a month ago, but it's just taken me a while to get the review done.  I hope I don't forget anything!  Before I bought this pattern, I contacted the shop owner, another designer named Courtney (funny!), to ask about snapped width of another one of her patterns.  Courtney quickly responded with the measurements, 3" snapped for her "Flares XL" pattern.  (Not the pattern I'm reviewing in this post.  I still haven't actually made that Flares XL pad. Ha!)  I purchased that pattern, but didn't get the chance to print and put it together until the next day.  After I printed it and cut out the pieces, I realized they didn't fit together right, so I contacted her again.  She responded almost instantly, and together we discovered that there was a glitch in the download that had jumbled pieces from two different patterns.  She very quickly fixed the problem, emailed me the updated pattern, and sent me a generous coupon that I totally used on 2 more of her patterns, including the one I'm reviewing here - her "Flares" pattern. I'm a total sucker for a coupon!

This PDF came with lots of nice color pictures and clear instructions to walk you through the process of making the pad.  One thing I did notice was that the instructions did not specifically show you how to insert a layer of hidden PUL.  That could be a problem if you've never done it before, because it is different than just using maybe a fleece backer, and it can be a little tricky or confusing the first time or two.  Honestly, when I'm not paying attention, I still will accidentally assemble those back layers upside down or backwards.  In fact, I even did it on this very pad.   Oops!  Although I don't think that missing info detracts from the pattern itself, and there are lots of online tutorials for adding a layer of PUL, that is definitely something to keep in mind if you're trying to choose your first pattern that you're paying for.  Maybe hold off on this one until you have that bit under control and don't need those instructions.  

One plus with this pattern is that in the instructions, the designer shows you a way to assemble multiple core layers without all the cutting.  When I made this pad, I was too chicken to try it (which was dumb), and I was worried about waste.  I have since realized that waste just happens, and I don't care so much about how or where it happens if I can keep it under control a little.  So I'll definitely be trying Courtney's method with future pads.

As you can see, this pattern creates a pad that works out to be a really nice shape.  I know a lot of people like a pad with a little bit of a flare, that's a combination of a triangular and rounded shape.  If you are looking for that sort of shape, this might be your gal.  The pad works up to be about 10" long, which is a good average regular day length for a lot of people.  The width is 2.75" snapped, and most people find anywhere from 2.5" to 3" to be comfortable.  (As a reference, Yurtcraft pads are always 2.75" wide.)  Lots of people who use boy shorts or Scrundies will like a 3" width.  I found that the curvature of this pattern was pretty easy and straightforward to cut and sew, without a lot of adjusting the presser foot.  I'm a fan of that. 

I wouldn't say that this is a very-beginning-beginner pattern, just because of the lack of instructions for using PUL.  But it's close, and if you're willing to find those instructions online, go for it.  It does make a nice size and shape of pad for someone who is looking for one to see if they'll like using this kind of product, instead of disposables.  And it's easy enough to make that you could probably whip out several in a day to start up or add to your stash.  My Green Cloth patterns are only $3 each, so you won't go wrong purchasing this one. 

Feel free to leave questions in the comments!